James Gibbons (1837–1933) was a prospector, hunter, trader, and farmer. He was born in Ireland and came to North America in 1854. After coming to Edmonton in the 1860′s in search of gold in the North Saskatchewan River, James Gibbons and his partners invented a sluice box that would separate river sand and gravel from particles of gold.

In 1878, he started farming and became a prominent land owner in the Edmonton area. Some of the land he owned included what has today become Laurier Park and the Edmonton Valley Zoo.

School Focus and Philosophy

Our Mission Statement

We believe that children will become good citizens and life-long learners, that they will be able to achieve their ambitions if they are given consistent, structured education with clearly defined standards of academic achievement, supporting traditional values of home and school.

As a Traditional Alternative Program we are committed to high academic and conduct standards. We believe that achievement is maximized when

Welcome

Progressive Education with Traditional Values

Our Traditional Programming Makes Us Unique and Effective

Traditional methods and practices make us unique. We provide direct instruction of specific skills, including phonics, grammar, spelling, handwriting and mathematics computation. These skills are first taught separately through direct instruction, and then they are integrated into the practices of reading, writing, speaking, and problem-solving.

Traditional values guide our actions. Our school rules state that we are all expected to show respect, responsibility, and self-control. Through the setting of purposeful goals in the areas of citizenship and academic achievement, and through the provision of fair and firm discipline, traditional values are sustained.

These practices are based on thirty years of research that has proven this to be a sound pedagogy for teaching students.

The resources selected for the traditional program form a building block approach to our instruction. As resources and knowledge are shared across grade levels, there is continuity of instruction throughout your child’s school experience.